Flying standby

[elgerber]

Hi,

I have been reading some things about flying standby. We wish we could get into MCO a couple of hours earlier than we are, and there is a flight that leaves around that time. If I call the airline, and there are still seats available, do you think trying to fly standby is a good option for a family of 4? I have heard we probably could not get seats together, even if all 4 of us were able to get on. Any opinions? This would be in late August on Northwest out of Minneapolis.

Thanks.

Erika

[TravelSheryl]

Unless you are travelling midweek, I suspect it would be pretty unlikely that you'll clear the standby list, but by all means call the airline that morning and ask if they think you have a chance.

[olena]

The summer is the hardest time to do standby. Call and ask the airlines directly. They can't tell much from this far out and sometimes you can get more precise information out of different agents, when you call the reservations line. It depends on who you get. If you're going on Northwest, it would be great to know an employee who could just look in the computer for you and tell you what your chances are. I'd be prepared though to just get on the flights you already have seats on, just in case you can't swing a different situation.

[elgerber]

Thanks for the replies. I checked the prices after I posted this, and they have dropped so much, that I am sure there will not be extra seats on many flights out of here now LOL. Oh well, I'll just settle for getting in on our original flight.

Erika

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Hey, if you don't mind everyone being on different flights, flying standby on earlier flights is great! (hate those middle seats that they usually give you, though!)

[Heidi]

Call the night before you leave. They can usualy give you a good idea if you have a chance or not. If the flight is pretty full, I would not even try.